We are thinking of going to France for 2 weeks next summer with our tent and 5 kids 6 - 13. We've never camped outside the UK before.
Any recommendations on where to go (we're thinking of heading south for the weather) and tips or recommendations on what might differ and/or what we should know?
Paul
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
For recommendations you should look/post on the camping abroad message board - there's loads of stuff there. France has loads of campsites with activites for the kids (pools, playgrounds, kids club etc) so you are spoilt for choice. I'm guessing with 5 kids you have a fairly big tent, so look carefully at pitch size. In the busy areas the pitches are often about 80 sq m which actually isn't that big - our 5 man tent + awning and car will easily fill that.
As for differences, washrooms are often communal and toilet paper is often not supplied. If you want electricity then it's best to take a Euro adapter, although many sites use the same as the UK. Also, hook ups tend to be a bit further away than the UK - campsites often offer extension leads but we take an extension just in case.
We love camping in France. Maybe it's the weather, but I find their campsites more relaxed. Plus just about everywhere does lovely bread and pastries first thing in the morning.
If you're planning to go to the south, I suggest one or two stopovers on the way down. It's a long way and traffic can be very busy in the summer school holidays - avoid travelling at weekends if possible. Also bear in mind the cost of tolls - Google maps will give you an estimated cost for the route.
For those wishing to guestimate the toll charges prior to setting off, the experts on here seem to recommend Via Michelin rather than Google maps (not used it myself though!), but other than that, I totally agree with the above post.
You really won't understand just how bloody fantastic it is, until you've tried it!
We don't have kids with us, (although we are big kids at heart!) or the holiday park/water park type sites, so can't help on that score. However, a few comments that may be of interest...
First off, the aforementioned Euro Adaptor. That's just an example, so shop around. Basically, the experts over in the "camping abroad" section will have you believe that some French camp sites offer their electric hook up via a 2 pin socket, not the blue ones we are used to, hence the need for this adaptor. After 4 trips now, and staying on 8 different sites thus far, we haven't actually needed ours. I was going to kick off about the bad advice, but then thought that, for the sake of a few measly quid, I'd rather have one and not need it, than not have one and need one... so I've kept schtum, so as not to upset anybody! You, of course, can make your own decision!
If you have sensitive teens, just warn them it is quite common to get unisex facilities. That is to say you may see the odd person of the opposite sex wandering around in a towel, or God forbid, a 60 year old bloke with his fat hairy belly on show! They still have private shower cubicles (and wash cubicles on some sites). It's not like the showers at school!
Some sites have toilet seats and loo paper, but many have neither. Indeed some don't even have loo's, as we know them. The infamous holes in the floor are still around, but are now called "Turkish toilets", to lessen the fear! This goes for public toilets too, be that motorway services or stations and the like. Many places offer the choice of either, loo wise.
Also, don't be surprised to see a bloke stood at a urinal. Some of them aren't exactly hidden very well!
As for tolls, we have recently (1st to 16th Sept) come back from Frejus, which is pretty much as far south as you can go, give or take a few detours west or east along the Med coast. We went toll all the way and it cost around €100 each way. That was in a car. I think they charge more for caravans/motorhomes. Don't think they charge more for a trailer behind a car, in fact I'm sure they don't.
You can of course avoid toll roads for all or part of any journey. Our recent trip was down as just over 10 hours driving (for the French bit) using toll motorways. (In reality, it was 12+, without stops). Avoiding tolls had it down as nearer to 16 hours. That's an extra day, in reality. Apparently more scenic of course, and obviously free, but whilst we could afford the toll charges, we decided, with only 16 days over there, that we couldn't afford the extra journey time! It seems the retired folk just love to brag about how many beautiful towns and villages they've been through, and how they lunch in the finest restaurants, all by simply avoiding the toll roads. Sickening really, but good luck to 'em, I suppose!
We are also hooked on picnic stops at the aires, which adds to travel time. These are basic pull-in's off the motorway, offering toilets, maybe a play area for the kiddies, and maybe an info board... and lots of picnic tables! Not to be confused with the service stations we are more used to over here, which they do have aswell, of course.
With that, and allowing for the fact we were overnighting in our tent, we decided to split that "10 hour journey" into three days each way, so 2 overnight stops each way. That's a fair chunk of holiday time, so bear that in mind!
Fuel is much cheaper at large supermarkets, as opposed to motorway service stations, as over here.
Another thing to consider is stop-overs. We now have the ideal tent for this (bought specifically for this reason!) so we stayed at camp sites on route. However, for our first couple of trips, and not wishing to spend 3 hours setting up a massive tent, only to fall asleep, wake up, and take it all down again, next morning, we opted for the cheaper budget hotels. Not sure how that'd work with a large family? They're ok of course, but still add to the budget. We'd much rather be in the tent, but a big family tent isn't exactly practical for overnighting, so you'll have some thinking to do on that score!!
Personally, as newbies, in your situation, and the timing of your trip, I wouldn't go much further than 5 hours or so from your landing point, all timed to get there in the one day. Take a chance with the weather (It'll be better than home LOL!), and get used to everything else for this first trip. You're bound to want to go again, so think about longer trips south, and overnighting, another time.
Good luck for now. Enjoy the research, and keep asking those questions... in the "Camping Abroad Section"!
We stopped camping in the UK back in 1978! as we found the whole experience rubbish, mostly due to the appaling weather of course.
So we always head for the Sun, Argeles Sur Mer, Frejus and Antibes when our Son was young, his last fully holiday with us was when he reached 17.
Although he did fly in to spend a week with us back in 2014, well he had reached 29 by then, which was great, especially when I dropped him back of at the kiss and fly point at Nice airport.
We have also been to the Southern Ardeche in recent years, another stunning region, that we liked so much, we returned 3 years on the trot.
Your well located at Harrow, for getting to Dover or better still Newhaven.
Getting to the South East of France including the Med is a breeze using the Eastern autoroute's.
As we are from up North we do 3 overnights on the way South, all in France using the Premiere Classe budget hotels, and 2 on the way back North.
Back in the day we would pack the Pup tent for over night stops, always the municipal at Macon amongst others, happy days indeed, but to much hassle for us these days, pitching a tent for just the one night.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
Depends what you want... They always say the weather should be OK south of the Loire, but it's not always the case! The Vendee and Loire-Maritime has some nice beaches and the weather is often good, although personally we found it a bit uninteresting otherwise- Brittany is much more historical but weather more unpredictable. If you want good pool facilities etc and a bigger site, it might be worth checking the Keycamp and Eurocamp brochures as the sites they use often do independent camping too. If you want to go further, the Dordogne area is lovely and personally I love the Charente and Charente-Maritime (Royan and the Le Verdon peninsula). Further south, Nimes is great- I could go on!! Buy yourself a Rough Guide to France and pick a region! Enjoy!
Like above, since our first camp 3yrs ago in France that is where we have our main holiday now.
Just to add to above excellent info as always from our members, the children on french campsites are much better behaved than in the Uk, they all say hello and are quite respectful and the teenagers do not hang about the toilets at night!.
We only do Normandy, each year we have gone further, 3hrs,4hrs 5hrs from Calais.
End of June into July 2 weeks and an odd day not in the UK school hols but other European countries school hols. We have always had good weather odd dull day and an odd shower poss storm but generally temps in the 25+.
Camping Cormoran at Ravenville la plage. was this years holiday and although it was all singing and dancing, it was so relaxed and had more than enough for kids, huge pitches too and just across the road from a lovely beach.
Oh and get a tag for the motorway tolls, lots of info on the camping abroad page
Hi Paul, we first went to France long ago with four children aged one to eleven - somewhere close to a beach down the west coast of France suited us when we had children in that age range. You could do worse than that.
There are dozens of campsites to choose from - ranging from orchards behind a farmhouse to five star spectaculars with lazy rivers and multiple water slides . So it depends on the balance between what you would like and what you can afford. Enjoy your planning.
Quote: Originally posted by SGThomas on 06/10/2016
For a really good holiday, leave the children at home.
Good advice from SGThomas but we struggle with this bit. Hoping for better luck next year or we're just going to sneak off in the middle of the night. He's 23, for Pete's sake and we are very embarrassing parents but still he tags along.
Quote: Originally posted by SGThomas on 06/10/2016
For a really good holiday, leave the children at home.
Good advice from SGThomas but we struggle with this bit. Hoping for better luck next year or we're just going to sneak off in the middle of the night. He's 23, for Pete's sake and we are very embarrassing parents but still he tags along.
my two daughters have tagged along for years, one even coming straight from the us via the uk after finishing uni. the eldest is now married with a one year old, she has tagged along every year, bringing her friends some years - she has now bought a van and its being installed NEXT DOOR to ours (for babysitting duties no doubt) while I sit here typing this response !!
Truth is, they never leave, they know a good thing when they it!
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Topic: Camping in France
